Coming of Age
by liliduh
Summary: Kakashi's development in ninja prowess has yet to make up for his mental state of maturity -- at least that much Minato knew. A look at how Kakashi grew up during war time.


**A/N: **With its recent chapters, the manga has rekindled my love for unity and comradery. Hella good plot development, I think.

Well, here's to sticking a tentative toe back into the sea of fanfiction!

**Chapter One**

"I don't care how talented the brat is. This shit needs to stop," a rather impatient shinobi said to his comrade. "Being late is unbecoming, and arriving with obvious, inexcusable lies shows blatant disrespect." The bright blonde jounin on the receiving end nodded, regarding the fellow ninja with utmost respect. However, he couldn't help but internally sweatdrop at the intensity of his friend's glare – even though he couldn't see the face.

_Of all the people you've managed to offend, you just had to include the ANBU captain who's supposed to recruit you, Kakashi_, the jounin thought with amusement. _You'll get in just fine, but this growing list of complaints has started to affect my daily schedule... _

It wasn't so much that Minato wanted to ignore an ally (even if it was his _day off)_. It's just that he had already heard this complaint an hour ago. Not only this morning, but he had at least three more the morning before today. And six more during the morning before _that_. This didn't even count his afternoons and sometimes his evenings!

_I wonder... will I soon start dreaming of complaints in my sleep? _

All he wanted to do was walk around Konoha onhis _day off _– and perhaps visit a certain special kunochi when he had the chance. A date, even. If she was busy, he at least wanted to take a stroll, sit at the monument, look out, and watch his village. He could have gone to a ramen shop or six, just to waste time leisurely on Sunday – the Sunday, he tried to not remind himself, that was specifically assigned as a _day_ _off. _Yes, the young jounin wanted some quality time of peace, simply by doing tasks and favors that for himself that didn't involve killing once in a while.

What he most certainly did _not_ want to do right now, was listen to another complaint. Minato had to think. He didn't want to deal with more complaints like these, at least not so early in the morning. Being known for good manners was a specialty of his, and so he started to think of strategies to end the conversation on a good enough note to please the ANBU.

_He's going to interrupt me the second I make use of a conjunction, though. _Minato thought.

"I understand your concern, but-"_ Right here. _

"But nothing!"

_Knew it_.

"He's not committing any of the three sins like Jiraiya-sensei or Tsunade-sama ," Minato tried, to laugh off with his best, please-trust-me-here-and-let-me-go–on-my-merry-way-since-I'm-completely-without-doubt-on-your-side smile. This only led to a kunai-piercing glare.

"Your kid ain't a sannin."

"... it's not even a rule he's breaking, technically. It's more of a social expectation," he reasoned with the consistent smile, though his left brow twitched at sannin retort. Maybe bullshitting could work here.

"A social expectation that's so elementary, that it's not even written since every damn ninja - with the exception of yours, of course – does it instinctively when given a job. This isn't even counting the number of responsible adults as well as children out there who aren't even shinobi!"

Bullshitting could so not work here.

" ...well, it's not like he's breaking _all_ the rules..." he replied weakly, internally wincing at the growing aura of anger. Despite knowing hundreds of justu (and mastering well over a thousand), he didn't know it was possible for the ears of a shinobi to act like chimney shoots.

"No, it's just as bad," the ANBU replied sharply."He keeps breaking _the same damn one."_

_Is that smoke coming from the mask's nose too, or is it his chakra leaking? _Minato thought, as he could only sigh in defeat. He had to wait this one out. Chances were that his friend needed this venting session anyway. The war was reaching its end, and the stress levels of high ranking shinobi were at their highest these days.

_Which is why I wanted to take today to lower, you know, my stress levels as well.. _

"His late arrivals are getting worse by each mission. There's a bad seed planted here, and you need to root it out! Otherwise your student will pick up more bad habits, possibly losing edge in battle, increasing the chances of losing his life, along with the lives of fellow shinobi!"

_With Kakashi's experiences, not likely_. The teacher wanted to alleviate the man's anger, knowing full well that his heated words were meant to protect the future of Konoha, not just reprimand it. Years of war led both men to realize how important rules were, and the highly possible consequences that could happen if someone broke them out of pure selfishness. Many children died within this generation, more so than the generation before it, and it brought Minato to somberly lament the number of dreams that could never be reached.

"As a former ANBU member yourself, you know what children are capable of and what they are not when fighting against elites... they need to learn. Talented or not, they need to learn limitations."

It wasn't so much a child's fault for wanting to protect his loved ones. The sheer lack of battle experience, lack of pure killing intent, coupled with the setting of a war provided death with the perfect opportunity to smile. Outside the walls of the village was a place where you could never be full protected, not even by your teacher. If children made it unscathed from a battle or two, they would either go on the next mission in fear or in arrogance. And those two emotions had always led to the selfish acts that practically begged for death.

Kakashi wasn't selfish in that aspect, his teacher knew. The child had issues, just like any other ninja if not more.

_Nah, definitely more. _

If anything, Minato's team was the complete opposite of the usual genin team. Coming out alive from a mission was considered a blessing for Rin and a milestone reached for Kakashi. Both ninjas were growing outstandingly, just as their teacher predicted.

_Unfortunately, they became stronger due to the death of a teammate, _thought Minato sadly. _Fear not, Obito. The battle may have ended in your death, but your performance and unshaking morale far exceeded the already high expectations I expect for any fellow shinobi. In addition to that, you've brought out the true potential within your comrades. For these reasons alone .. I am eternally proud to have been your teacher. _

Thinking with these memories, Minato gained a sense of verbal momentum to contribute almost -almost! defiantly to the conversation. Despite being an ANBU veteran himself, he knew full well that the captain of this generation required more respect

"I know my student," he said with enough conviction to catch his friend off guard. " Though he acts passive, Kakashi wouldn't put others in unnecessary danger." The stiff shinobi lifted his brows in response.

_It looks like he's lightening up. Good, good. _Minato noticed the lack smoke. Or chakra. Whichever.

"He threatened his first potential genin team, saying he would only pass them if they could get two bells off his belt." Minato raised a brow in return.

"Where's the threat in that?" Minato had the same test with Jiraiya.

"They had to do it while he was chucking massive **boulders** at them. Each child was **blind folded **in one eye."

... _good GOD. _

"As a previous jounin, I'm pretty damn sure those standards aren't – hey! Where do you think you're going?" The shinobi only had to take one look in Minato's eyes to see that the blonde was about to go on the move. Before Minato had left, however, this shinobi was skilled enough to demand an answer for the eventual departure.

"I'm going to speak to my student," Minato smiled. "I'll straighten this out."

"About time!" the shinobi crossed his arms and snorted. The blonde awkwardly laughed as he eagerly turned his back to leave.

"I didn't know. He never told me."

'He probably didn't have time since he made them wait an extra day without food, and only started the test 4am last night."

"..."

"Get your ass going, Minato."

--

Rin often took her day off to "do what a girl on the battle field can't always do," she said. Whatever that meant. They were becoming closer comrades (he could tell by the teamwork performance as of late) and yet he felt the distance increasing between them at the same time. He didn't understand what she meant by just "being a girl," even though he sometimes saw her look fondly into a mirror while brushing her hair. He had asked why she brought a mirror to battle, and she gave him a simple smile. Was it to see enemies from behind? Was it to help her practice medical jutsu on areas she couldn't see?

"_It's to help me remember why I'm here," _she said.

"_... and what's your reason?" _Ninjas fought as tools for their rulers and to uphold their traditions of battle prowess and intellect.

"_I'm here so I can go home faster. So I can go home and see that .. I have a home to go to." _

"_I see." _

He didn't see. He didn't understand, and he felt their friendship strain even more because he should have. Their last conversation had troubled him somewhat, making him feel alienated not only from her world, but from the ninja world as well. It seemed as if everyone had something to do when they were _off_. Except for him. He had tried to get ideas from Rin by asking what her usual routine was. She replied with the biggest smile and had happily told the team that was going to get a haircut. She said that his hair was pretty long as well and that maybe he should go along with her.

Frankly, Kakashi didn't need a haircut. With that, they parted ways.

_Another one of these days passing me by_, a young Kakashi thought during noon. Whenever he had a day off, he really didn't know what to do with himself. He took days like these with a grain of salt by aimlessly wandering the streets of Konoha. Most kids his age took this chance with utmost gratitude, running off to have fun, go on dates, and just be -

_Teenagers, _Kakashi mused to himself. _I'm supposed to be a teenager, too. Not just a ninja. I'm supposed to have interests, hobbies, and dreams. Why don't I have any? _

He saw many of his peers along the street corner. A group of kunochi were eating cake while drinking tea at a café, laughing freely as they watched some of their male friends hit on the new waitress without any success. The increasing number of rejected men would sigh in defeat, eventually sitting down at the kunochi table, only to be laughed at more by the female comrades.

A number of children were outside as well, many of them chasing each other, practicing jutsu on their own for an upcoming test. They would gather in huge groups, talk avidly about rules, and eventually break up and run in various directions -- and one child was left to find them all. The hide-and-seek concept was practiced as a ninja tag emulation; the children would use sticks as kunai to avoid being touched, and they would use bunshin to hide themselves again after a battle.

Some of the older ninja were found just chatting outside, talking about their families or future missions. Occasionally, Kakashi would spot a very small sake bottle passed around and he would take note of the increasing number of red cheeks and arm-around-arm interaction. He saw how the redder the face, the louder the voice. The number of friendly smiles never failed to increase as well.

Kakashi didn't bother trying to be part of any of the festivities – he couldn't see how he would fit in. Would he be try to hit on a waitress? Would he sneak a drink here and there, or would he take the occasional break to play with kids? He walked by each group passively, hands in pockets, knowing full well that no one would acknowledge him. He was completely fine with that. He felt no urge to join or make friends.

_I need a purpose for today, _Kakashi tried to reason with himself. _I need to find a reason to enjoy a Sunday off like everyone else. _

He had to close his eyes momentarily as the lively chatter and laughing began to be the focus of his ears, though he had no intention of hearing only them. A young girl's giggle combined with a grown man's hearty laugh somehow stood out among them. Kakashi realized that the girl was the man's daughter and that he was calling to her. He did not have to look to see the familial bond, and the gentle head pat.

Despite not wanting to be part of this outgoing, active side of ninja life, something within told him that he needed_ something_ from this. The left brow that lazily hung above the covered sharingan elevated somewhat, almost pitifully as Kakashi realized ever since the death of his father, he never felt like he belonged to Konoha.

_What am I supposed to do?_

--

**A/N:** Weeell,I wanted to focus on how Kakashi started taking on the obvious Obito-like characteristics, and the conclusions he made about life prior to the Naruto-generation we're used to now. Sure, it the fic tastes bad, but it's all in the subtlety, I guess. I'm sure there are tons of these "Kakashi's mysterious past" ideas out there, stripping me of the adjective called "original," but it's how an idea is presented, right?

... yeah, well when the crickets stop snickering, I'll think about how to continue this.


End file.
